MN Man To Pay Restitution Over Pompey’s Pillar Carving

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Minnesota man who carved the names of himself and his wife near the 1806 signature of explorer William Clark on a national monument in south-central Montana last fall has agreed to pay $4,400 in restitution and fines.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed the misdemeanor vandalism charge against Cole Randall of Plymouth, Minn., for the carving in the sandstone at Pompey’s Pillar that read “Cole + Shpresa 10/10/2013.”

The Bureau of Land Management said Monday that restoration work is expected to take place in May. Monument manager Jeff Kitchen says Randall’s carving is so deep that it may not be able to be fully restored. The BLM found the damage impacted other, more faded historical signatures.

Randall has said he made the carving after his wife discovered a lump in her breast during their honeymoon.